Boulder County celebrates Martin Luther King Day with marches, rallies

By Mitchell Byars, Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
01/21/2013 02:34:23 PM MST

Updated:
01/21/2013 07:16:26 PM MST

"What do we want?"

"Peace!"

"When do we want it?"

"Now!"

That was the chant that rang out this morning as the Eighth Annual Martin Luther King Jr. March for Peace and Celebration made its way through the streets of Lafayette, and all around Boulder County similar calls for peace and equality were echoed as residents celebrated Martin Luther King Day.

Planned by the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee, hundreds gathered to march down South Public Road before gathering at Escuela Bilingue Pioneer.

"I think something like this spreads a sense of community," said Faun Gulland, a student at Boulder High and a member of the Lafayette Youth Advisory Committee. "Martin Luther King was obviously a very important person, and we want to spread word of his message even if he is no longer here."

While King may no longer be around, there was plenty of evidence at the march today that his call for peace is as relevant as ever. Among the sings depicting King and his famous "I Have a Dream" speech, there were also signs expressing views on current issues like gun control, one of the reasons Gulland said she felt the event was important.

"We want people to know if they have issues, they can come forward with them," Gulland said. "You have a voice."

Phillip Nordeck, a recent University of Colorado graduate, was also marching as part of his volunteer work with the I Have a Dream Foundation, which provides after-school activities for underprivileged children.

"Whenever I have time I think it's good to volunteer and help build strong community relations," Nordeck said.

A large number of those marching and leading the chants were younger students and children, something State Sen. Matt Jones said was one of the reasons this particular event was so important.

"This is all youth power," he said. "We're passing on the values of Martin Luther King to the next generation. Opportunity, dignity, peace."

Natalie Littlefield, of Boulder, walks "Charlie" the dog during the Martin Luther King Jr. March for Peace on Monday, Jan. 21, in Lafayette. (Jeremy Papasso/Daily Camera)

The theme of passing values along to the next generation was also the theme in the city of Boulder, where a similar march was held on the Pearl Street Mall followed by a gathering at the CU University Memorial Center's Glenn Miller Ballroom. In the room, booths from all sorts of local organizations handed out information as local performers took the state.

Nii Armah Sowah, an adjunct professor of African dance and music at CU as well as the founder of the 1000 Voices Project, led the entire room in song as he talked about the importance of uniting their voices.

"If our voices are all in harmony, change is gonna happen," he said. "It isn't one person's journey, it is a relay. Every generation has the responsibility to carry the torch forward. The world will change because we all participate."

At Silver Creek High School in Longmont, invocations, exhortations, spirituals and challenges filled the afternoon, from the first step of the "Marade" at 1 p.m. to the last notes of "Lift Ev'ry Voice," sometimes referred to as the "black national anthem," two hours later. The event was sponsored by the Dr. King Committee and Longmont's Multicultural Action Committee.

Michele Snyder, who attended with her daughter and grandchildren, said she realized she was dating herself when she started to remember some of the television news clips from when she grew up in Michigan.

"I remember his speeches and what he stood for, and the day he was shot," she said, as she joined the march around the high school's parking lot. "The commitment. Everyone stood for something. They may have been afraid to voice it or show it, but they did it anyway. For a lot of people, that still holds true today."

Reporter Scott Rochat with the Longmont Times-Call contributed to this report.

Molly Dever, 9, at left, and Molly Kedlund, 10, talk with each other while marching during the Martin Luther King Jr. March for Peace on Monday, Jan. 21, in Lafayette.
(
JEREMY PAPASSO
)